Italy’s political leadership united Saturday in condemning an attack on the headquarters of La Stampa, the Turin-based liberal-centrist daily and one of the country’s oldest national newspapers.
The incident unfolded Friday when a group of left-wing protesters broke away from a demonstration against the government’s budget plans and forced their way into the paper’s offices, which were empty due to a nationwide journalists’ strike. According to La Stampa, around 100 intruders vandalised the newsroom, tore up books and documents, and covered walls with graffiti including “Free Palestine” and “Newspapers complicit with Israel”. A banner reading “Free Shahin”—a reference to an imam in Turin facing deportation—was also hung inside the building.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denounced the raid as a “very serious act” and phoned editor-in-chief Andrea Malaguti to express solidarity, stressing that “freedom of the press is a precious good.” President Sergio Mattarella condemned a “violent attack”, while opposition leader Elly Schlein called it a “serious and unacceptable act”, saying newsrooms remain “bastions of freedom and democracy”.
Founded in 1867, La Stampa occupies a central place in Italy’s media landscape and plays a significant role in national political debate. The attack has prompted cross-party calls for stronger protections for journalists amid increasingly confrontational left-wing protest movements.
